Category Archives: Community

Campaign for Australian Aid

In the last 20 years, humanity has made great progress in shaping a more just and equal world. Together, through Australian Aid, we have played a part in that story. We want Australians to celebrate our important contributions on the world stage, and ensure that as a nation we are for Australian Aid.

That is why Make Poverty History, together with Micah Challenge, have launched a new Campaign for Australian Aid.  The campaign is a coalition of over 50 aid and development organisations below.

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In recent years, Australia’s aid budget has suffered from successive cuts, and has lost the bi-partisan support it once held. These have dramatically set back our national contribution to the crucial progress of international development.

Now, more than ever, Australia needs strong support behind the life-changing work of aid.
Add your voice to the movement committed to a brighter future for Australian Aid.  Join the Campaign for Australian Aid.

Miller on For-Profits v Not-For-Profits

Clara MillerHere’s an interesting metaphor explaining the differences between For-Profit and Not-For-Profit Organisations taken largely from a presentation by Clara Miller from the F. B. Heron Foundation.

Let’s pretend you’re the owner of a restaurant.  Your customer comes to pay the bill but before she offers her credit card, she says, “I’m going to restrict my payment to the chef’s salary.  She’s great, and I just want to make sure I’m paying for the one thing that makes the real difference here.  I don’t want any of this payment to go towards your rent, your crockery, your air-conditioning, or your accountant.  They’re just not that important.  The chef is where you should be spending your money!”

The irony is that controlling costs actually undermines efficiency and program quality.  Over time, the inability of Not-For-Profits to invest in better staff learning & development, maintaining office amenities, introducing better IT systems, and developing innovative programs means that staff burn out, offices fall into disrepair, systems are not updated, and service improvement stalls.

In the same management situation, the difference between a For-Profit Manager and their Not-For-Profit counterpart is that the former instinctively overstaffs operations for growth, while the latter understaffs.

Our Community Board Builder Conference

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Had 1 fantastic jam-packed day of learning at the Our Community Institute of Community Directors’ Board Builder Conference (Moonee Valley Racetrack, 23/Feb/2015):

  • Some awesome presentations on NFP mergers, Crisis Management, Fundraising, Board Recruitment, ICT security, and People Management
  • Some fabulous opportunities to network with 400+ not-for-profit board members and CEOs
  • A challenging lunchtime presentation from one of Australia’s most prominent futurists, Dr Peter Ellyard
  • Several chances to pick the brains of a number of not-for-profit governance experts during 2 provocative panel sessions
  • Some great take-aways from the Commonwealth Bank and Moores Legal.

ACTGov on Recycling

Take your lids offYou need to take the lids off bottles and jars before you put them in the recycling bin.  Bottles and jars that still have their lids on can cause problems at the ACT recycling facility.  So, when you’ve finished with your bottles and jars, take the lids off – and then put the lot (bottles, jars, lids) in your recycling bin.

There are lots of other types of recyclable materials that you might not know about and might be incorrectly throwing in the garbage bin.  For example, rigid plastic take away food containers and toothpaste tubes can all be recycled.  Did you know toothpaste tubes and other semi-rigid plastics like sun cream tubes often become pencil cases after recycling!

You can check what can and can’t be recycled on the TAMS website A-Z Waste and Recycling Guide.

RESULTS on Poverty

results-logoI’m posting this today to share some exciting news.  RESULTS International (Australia), an organisation with whom I’ve had a long affiliation, are hoping to establish a RESULTS Canberra group in 2015!

RESULTS group members meet each month to learn about an issue of poverty, become articulate in speaking about the issue, and take action to build the political will to solve it. This usually means writing to or meeting with a parliamentarian, or writing to a newspaper about the issue.

jb&sbSince 1 July 2014, our grassroots advocates around the country have organised 14 meetings with MPs, had 25 letters to the editor published in newspapers, generated 11 media items, raised $16,000 and written letters to their MPs.  Our advocates recently played a role in securing an additional $50 million for GAVI, the Global Vaccine Alliance – an organisation that works to make vaccines affordable and available for the world’s lowest income countries.

Contact me if you are interested in learning more and being involved in the group – whether helping to start it, inviting others, or being in the group yourself.

McAleese on Peace

mary-mcaleese-1Let’s release ourselves from confrontation.  We can’t change the past but we can influence the future.  A cup of tea and a bun and a little generosity goes a very long way, and a soft word opens hearts whereas a bitter word closes them down.  This works at home, in the street, in the community, and politically – it just takes somebody to break the ice with a handshake, a hug or a kiss.” [Mary McAleese, Eighth President of Ireland, 1997-2011]